Episode 21: Where I Expand My Definition of ‘Home’

Here we are:  It's dark.  It's cold.  It's snowy.  It's the Winter Solstice.  We are hunkered down beside the fire, and feeling grateful for its warmth and our cozy home all around.  We're staying in tonight, though it's the time of year when one can easily find a neighbor hosting a game night or potluck happy hour, and gather together with friends to distract from the winter blues. This coziness and pleasant company are two ingredients making up the concept of hygge, a Danish word to describe a feeling of quiet contentment, connection and gratitude.  This is what I aspire to in my winter wonderland universe:  a way to slow down, step back and keep perspective on what is real and what is not, with a dash of indulgence on the side.And while I am surrounded by this comfort and joy, and fully appreciating my snug-as-a-bug situation, I'm also feeling the richness of a broader outlook, a wonderful woven tapestry of recent experiences.  I had the opportunity to travel a bit this last year, but when time came to look through my photos and choose some to work with in my digital studio, I hesitated.  My work to date has focused on Southeast Alaska, the Tongass Rainforest, Glacier Bay and the community of Gustavus; and after all, my art photography business is called Scenes From Home.  Then in a leap, I decided to expand my horizons, accept the idea of beauty and inspiration coming from all quarters, and embrace the concept of the whole planet as my home.... sort of tongue-in-cheek, but "there is no Planet B," right?  I like the feeling we're all in this together, that all of us on the entire globe are in a sense one community charged with being aware of and ultimately responsible for our home.With that introduction, I'd like to share some images created from photos I took in lands far away from where I reside:  the desert of southwest US and the hill towns of Tuscany, Italy.  These pieces can be seen on a new Shop tab under Notecards, called "My Travels."I first traveled in February to Joshua Tree National Park and was introduced to that very distinctive plant that is actually not a tree! as well as the rock formations and lush oasis in Andreas Canyon, formed by tectonic movement of the San Andreas Fault.  I am fascinated by this other environment, so different from my home in the rainforest.  The various desert plants and vegetation deal with their own extreme conditions, as seen in "Joshua Tree 3" and "Last Stand."  The rocks here as seen in "Andreas Canyon" tell a story much older than what we see in Alaska.  I think maybe I was a geologist in a former life to be so drawn to rocks, but this time around I am an artist not a scientist, and so I respond in a different way.  Working with these images, I am particularly pleased with the various treatments I find for feathery yucca leaves, stark bare branches against a rock face, and the blocky weathered chunks of red rocks.In September I took a short jaunt to the hill towns of Tuscany, Italy, my first visit to that country.  My strongest impression from this trip is the sense of time/history/change all melding to form modern life among the ancients.  We spend a week in the town of Lucca, with road trips out to the coast and up into the hills.  Our favorite hill town is Montecatini, and we take a full day to wander the narrow ways, delighting in the local scene and enjoying the quintessential cup of cappuccino.  Back in Lucca, we explore the old town ringed by the medieval wall constructed over the course of 200 years.  Initially built for protection, it's now used for picnicking, with a wide bike path all along the top of the wall in a three mile loop.Approaching Gustavus by ferry after my last trip to town, we round Pleasant Island to see the beach and far peaks all decked out in snow, a stunning reminder of the natural beauty waiting here at home. I titled my newest piece of travel photography from that afternoon and featured here "Winter Blues," highlighting the incredible depth of color in what is usually regarded as plain old white snow.  "Winter Blues" will be available in the New Year, as 5X7 notecard and giclee print.  Send a note if you'd like to be notified when they are in stock: lr.scribblr@gmail.comThanks for visiting my blog today!